


leave me a wreath or two

by nextdoornutcase



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Light Angst, Tywin Lannister's A+ Parenting, cute jaime trying to flirt, this is a really shit story so read at your own risk, this is literally just a dumb braime oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:01:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25403512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nextdoornutcase/pseuds/nextdoornutcase
Summary: Brienne can list the worst moments in her life, and her father’s death is still a definite number 1, but she thinks Connington might just have been dethroned from number 2 to number 3 by this moment right here.
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 14
Kudos: 89





	leave me a wreath or two

**Author's Note:**

> this story is inspired from a tweet i saw a while ago - would've linked it but i lost my bookmarks - so credits to the original creator of this plot. i just thought it fit these two idiots perfectly and i just had to do it to them. hope you like it :)

The thing is – the thing is she still only has herself to blame for this situation. And what her father liked to call ‘a bottomless pit of honour that would get them all into an early grave’. But if you asked Brienne, she would tell you that she was just trying to do ‘the right thing’. And as always it landed her in trouble.  
It all started with Selwyn Tarth’s untimely demise. One Thursday evening Brienne got a call at work - a brusque, impersonal tone informing her that her father had been hospitalised following a stroke. Then she was rushing to her car, speeding off to the other side of the state where her father lay on a single sterile white bed, pipes and nozzles stuck to every inch of his upper half. The sight of him, the strongest man she ever knew, lying stringed up like a marionette made her sob through the night. Selwyn came to consciousness a few times. Long enough to tell his darling daughter how much he loved her and how sorry he was to be leaving her alone in this cruel world. His heart gave up late into Saturday night. Brienne returned home on Sunday, beelined to her bed and promptly passed out.  
When she wakes up it is Monday evening and Pod, her assistant, is standing at her door with a bowl of soup and Sansa Stark at his side.   
“Hey” Brienne says opening the door, voice hoarse from unuse.  
Sansa envelops her in a hug as both of them come inside. The older Stark daughter had gone to college with Brienne and had only recently started dating Podrick but they were already inseparable.  
“How’re you holding up?” Pod asks handing her the soup as they sat down on the sofa.  
Brienne shrugs gulping a mouthful of the soup, suddenly acutely aware of how hungry she is.  
Sansa says, “Mum says not to worry about the funeral; she will handle all of it. She has already spoken to the people at the hospital. You just need to sign some papers; I’ve kept them on the kitchen island, take a look at them, I’ll come to get you tomorrow morning.”  
Brienne nods, grateful as always for the Starks who have become an extended family to both Brienne and Selwyn. They go on vacations together, celebrate Christmas together – Robb’s little one even calls Selwyn ‘Granda’.  
After Sansa and Pod leave Brienne curls back up in bed and checks her mails. She is still surprised at the number of condolence messages in her inbox. Somehow over the past few years in King’s Landing she has collected an odd assortment of friends. She answers some of them and drifts back to a listless sleep.   
As promised, Sansa comes over the next morning. She has also brought a black dress in her measurements and Brienne could almost weep with joy.  
The funeral goes over easily, almost too easily. She stumbles through the small speech she had put together. Once the guests have paid their respects and walked on to the parking lot, Brienne sits down by her father’s casket and allows herself to breathe.  
It becomes a habit to visit the grave on Saturday mornings with a bouquet of flowers, when she would usually drive home for breakfast with her father. She sits with him for a while, talking about mundane things happening in her life – about new projects in the office, the building renovation, Loras and Renly’s engagement party, Jon’s red haired baby, Margaret’s new boutique and so on.   
Christmas happens to be on a Saturday and suddenly there are more than a handful of people at the cemetery. She sits down beside the tomb and puts the wreath beside her. Inadvertently, she starts talking about how lovely the cemetery looks. It’s snowing and she knows Selwyn would have loved that.  
Suddenly she notices the grave beside her father’s is empty. It looks stark beside the blossoms on all the others. In fact, she realises, she has never seen a flower, not even a dying one, on it. Suddenly she feels extremely guilty, what if their family had died and there was no one to remember them by? She hurries over to the nearby florist, who is surprised to see her buy another wreath.  
Quietly, she kneels down and places it on the grave. With one gloved hand, she wipes off the snow to read the name –   
T. Lannister  
1947-2018  
And that’s it. No messages, no loving word. Brienne squeezes her eyes shut to stop the tears from falling. She has always been afraid of being alone. The thought that after she dies there will be no one to remember her by torments her. And now with her last remaining family dead, she truly feels adrift with nothing and no one to tether her. She knows it isn’t fair, that she has friends now who care about her, but she also knows that even with the Starks she will never truly belong. Firstly, she doesn’t particularly like huskies and secondly, for her winters are plain depressing.  
Wiping her eyes, she gets up, kisses her father goodbye and walks away. No matter how she feels, Catelyn will murder her if she doesn’t turn up for the Starks’ Christmas brunch.  
Buying two wreaths every week is not even a deliberate act – she realises she has been leaving flowers for a stranger almost two months after she starts doing it and then it’s just plain rude to not continue. Anyway, it’s not a big deal, she reasons with herself, she is just being kind to someone who has no one and deserves some kindness. She would be grateful if someone did the same for her.  
And it really isn’t a big deal, until one day she is absent-mindedly going to put down the flowers and realises there’s a man standing beside it.  
“Um” Brienne says, embarrassed, struggling to look him in the eye.  
“What exactly are you doing?” He asks incredulous.  
Brienne looks up. The man is in his late-thirties and Brienne is almost dazed by how beautiful he is.  
“Just leaving him some flowers. Who are you?”  
“I should be asking you that. I am his son.”  
“You are h-? He has a son?”  
“Two actually, and a daughter”   
“And you never visit? And you never leave flowers?”  
“Why do you think that is? Who are you to presume-“  
“I can presume just fine. I have been leaving him flowers for a few months because nobody ever does. And it’s sad okay. Whoever he is, he deserves some kindness.”  
“No he doesn’t. He killed his own son, my brother. He manipulated my sister into a monster who killed her husband and children. And he ruined my life. Is that reason enough not to leave him some fucking flowers?”  
His voice breaks around the last words, he turns around and buries his face in his hands.  
Brienne can list the worst moments in her life, and her father’s death is still a definite number 1, but she thinks Connington might just have been dethroned from number 2 to number 3 by this moment right here.  
“I’m sorry” she mumbles, taking a step forward, “I had no idea.”  
The man seems to be composing himself. He turns around, “It’s ok. How could you? We buried him here away from the kids and my brother so no one would make the connection with the criminal case. I never come here. But today my sister finally got out of rehab, and I thought this asshole should know he couldn’t ruin her completely. That he didn’t win. Does that make sense?”  
Brienne nods, understanding. “I’m glad. You should not be defined by the worst thing that has happened to you.”  
He smiles, green eyes sparkling. Brienne looks away.   
“Oh by the way,” he says, “I’m Jaime.”  
“Brienne, nice to meet you” she says extending a hand.  
“Would be nicer, if it was under literally any other circumstance”  
She laughs. The two bouquets are still in her hand.  
“I guess it is my dad’s lucky day then, he gets double” she says laying them down.  
“I’m sorry for your loss, I’m sure he was a double bouquet kind of father” he jokes.  
Brienne’s face darkens with embarrassment, “You know I am really sorry, I do stupid – “  
“Hey, no I’m kidding I told you its fine”  
Brienne offers him a tight smile. “Yeah he was a good father. He tried his best. God knows, I didn’t make it easy. If only I was a little more convenient. But he bore it in his stride.”  
“Anybody would be lucky to have a daughter like you. You are diligent and kind. Most children aren’t half as grateful.”  
Brienne almost barks out a laugh in surprise. What is this man playing at? She knows how she looks; she is by no means attractive or ladylike. Why is he pretending not to understand?  
“Even then, being constantly told your daughter is too mannish to ever make a decent match must not have been easy.”  
He screws up his face in disgust, “People still say shit like that? I mean come on! I thought we left that and ugly haircuts in the 80s.”  
Brienne laughs, turning to look to her father.  
“I’m sorry I’m wasting your time. You carry on. My angry rant is almost over.”  
“That’s ok I think he is bored of hearing about my dull old life at this point”  
He smiles and looks down for a moment. Brienne is about to turn away when he interrupts.  
“Brienne”  
“Yes, Jaime?”  
There’s a sparkle in his eye again, “Do you want to have grab a coffee with me so you have something interesting to tell your father?”  
“What?” Brienne stutters.  
He suddenly looks nervous. He smiles tightly and says, “It is ok if you don’t want to. I understand. I just think you’re really smart, and funny, and kind and beautiful and I really want to look into your eyes for some more time. So tea, coffee, dinner?”  
“Um”  
“Shit did I ruin my chances with that?”   
Brienne can’t help but smile. She takes a step forward and says, “Not even close.”  
She laughs when he does a mini fist pump in the air.   
“So”, she says as they walk out together, “Do you have a penchant for picking up girls at the cemetery?”


End file.
